i think this is a great point, but you know you can't stop the crusades.  it's sort of reminds me of making suicide illegal.  how the hell do you enforce it?  either way, the point of being an American is about freedoms.. more and more these freedoms are taken away for our own protection.  i especially enjoy the point about fastfood.  in my opinion, i believe that they should tax cigarettes and fast food equally.  If we're going to go on the healthy binge of the bowl, we might as well start taxing red meats, promoting tofu, and eliminating carbonated drinks.  perhaps that point, people would see the ridiculousness of trying to ruin other peoples lives.

ban 'em all, or none.

on a secondary note, the difference is there is an unspoken rule which people seem oblivious of.  if somebody is smoking, and you go to the area they are smoking in.. that's your fault.  that's no different than moving next door to a lead plant and being mad that your children are retards.  if a smoker lights up in your immediate area, than its their fault and thus they should be forced to leave.  it's about a mutual understanding on who gets there first.  nobody likes the loud drunk guy at the bar, so if you go and don't like it you can leave.  same thing with the smoker.  its a matter of fault on both sides...

Lastly, America is the minority on this issue as the rest of the world smokes (and smokes a LOT)... again i don't understand why everyone cares so much.. people have been smoking for thousands of years... it's not something that's going to disappear with American legislation.

ok way more than the $0.02 I had initially meant to write.  great post.   better to be skinny and smoking than fat and nicotine free.

I got shit for smoking, I get shit for quitting. Go figure!

i never say anything to people when they're smoking, but i do think it's disgusting.
it looks gross, and smells even worse.
I can't stand cutting a smoker's hair.  It makes me want to puke.
they smell old and dirty.
Yuck!

but whatever, it's your body, not mine.

I will only comment on you smoking if you're close to me. 

i absolutely dislike smokers.

i usually leave them alone. i'm sure they know the stuff it can do and choose to do it anyway. so hey their choice their body. i don't like being lectured about my habits so why should i push my ideals on them?

Smoking is bad, but in general the person has already decided where they sit on the risk/reward scale.

As for comparing it to eating disorders, my biggest beef with the eating disorders is the pressure those with them tend to place on others, as well as the support they get to continue. If you smoke in public, someone will tell you it's bad for you, pressure you to stop. Look at the comments in this thread. However, it seems half the eating disorder sites out there are advocating them. That is what bothers me most.

Thank you for writing this. Since I was brought up that way, I used to hold my nose when I walked by a smoker as a little kid. Now, I firmly believe that we should always have the right to do what we want with our bodies (ex--doctor assisted suicide, smoking cigarettes or weed, doing drugs). It may no be healthy, but it's our body. If I smoke weed inside my house and do not drive or do anything stupid, who am I hurting bedsides myself?

And there is SUCH a double standard when it comes to smoking and overweight people. An obese person could hector a smoker, but it is not so the other way around. There are plenty of things as dangerous as smoking, and being obese is one of them. Binge drinking is also unhealthy, and it can kill you a lot quicker than smoking.

I feel like smokers were just targeted. The government picked one unhealthy thing to obsesses over, and it's worked out really well for them. They've made a shitload of money off of taxes.

And smoking is probably beneficial in some cases. Some people use it as a coping mechanism, which isn't necessarily a bad thing. For instance, what if someone was to cut or eat compulsively instead of smoke to calm their nerves?

All things kill us eventually. Do whatever it takes to get you through life till that point. Oh, and LIVE AND LET LIVE. : )

depends on how often you smoke
i quit smoking when i was 18 but i had been smoking for 4 yrs before that

Do I ever yell at someone to stop smoking? No. HOWEVER, if someone does light up around my child, or I see someone smoking in a car with children, I usually say something.  It annoys me to death to see a parent smoking in car with their children. If you want to poison yourself, FINE, but don't do it to your children.

I've smoked before, and I know how good it feels. I quit because I got stroke symptoms because of smoking. My whole right side of my body went numb, and my mind went completely blank. I couldn't even form a sentence. I'm only 21 years old. That crap shouldn't be happening to me. Why are you even defending smoking? You obviously didn't do enough research, because if you have read ANY stories over cancer survivors, or talking to anyone that has had lung cancer, you wouldn't be smoking.

Thanks for this post.  I have the same thought every time someone makes a comment on my smoking.  I think that most people (especially of the younger generations) know VERY well the effects of smoking.  To assume that a smoker is unaware of the risks of smoking is, well, ignorant.

i think the big mac thing was the best thing i read... very good point. i guess the only difference is smoking does effect other people whereas the fatass doesnt, even if you're not really near by. second hand smoke is even worse than first hand but i do get what youre saying.

@storyofmylife87@xanga - Most people have this mentality that the chances of something bad happening to them is slim, even if they know it's possible. I work for the American Cancer Society with smokers, and a lot of them won't quit until something serious has happened...same thing with my own father, and I've nagged him for years. I'm not assuming this is what the author thinks, but some people are like this.